mckenzierichardson's review against another edition
3.0
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An interesting story centered around the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. This is the first book that I've read in the Girls Survive series and overall I enjoyed it. The writing is pretty simple and lacks some finesse, but I think it does a good job of making history appealing to young readers.
One aspect I did enjoy was that Gilbert incorporated what it was like for girls and women during the time period. Leah and Francesca have limited options and are expected to either get married and have children or work in a factory to take care of their family. This is an element that's missing in other books on the topic written for kids (i.e. [b:I Survived The Great Molasses Flood, 1919|43319593|I Survived The Great Molasses Flood, 1919 (I Survived, #19)|Lauren Tarshis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560051279l/43319593._SX50_.jpg|67230936]). This book focuses on the experiences of its girl characters and how they may have differed from boys at the time instead of presenting a generic story that could have been lived by girls or boys.
Overall, a good read. Includes an Author's Note with additional historical information, discussion questions, and a glossary. I love the idea of this series and plan to read more of the books.
An interesting story centered around the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. This is the first book that I've read in the Girls Survive series and overall I enjoyed it. The writing is pretty simple and lacks some finesse, but I think it does a good job of making history appealing to young readers.
One aspect I did enjoy was that Gilbert incorporated what it was like for girls and women during the time period. Leah and Francesca have limited options and are expected to either get married and have children or work in a factory to take care of their family. This is an element that's missing in other books on the topic written for kids (i.e. [b:I Survived The Great Molasses Flood, 1919|43319593|I Survived The Great Molasses Flood, 1919 (I Survived, #19)|Lauren Tarshis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560051279l/43319593._SX50_.jpg|67230936]). This book focuses on the experiences of its girl characters and how they may have differed from boys at the time instead of presenting a generic story that could have been lived by girls or boys.
Overall, a good read. Includes an Author's Note with additional historical information, discussion questions, and a glossary. I love the idea of this series and plan to read more of the books.
panda_incognito's review against another edition
4.0
This powerful story vividly depicts a little-known historical disaster, and the author did a great job of weaving in key contextual information in the story's set-up, so that readers would understand the crisis when it happened. This is one of the best books in the series, in my opinion, especially because the main character is so well-developed. She is an incredibly strong person, and the story explores both the gifts and faults that she has because of her feisty and aggressive personality. The book also addresses inequities for women without being preachy.
I greatly enjoyed this book. It is vivid, suspenseful, and moving, and is honest about the ravages of this industrial disaster without being too graphic for kids or too sanitized for adults to benefit from reading it as well. I would recommend this book to a wide age range, and am very glad that I read it. This series has been mostly hit-or-miss for me, but this is an outstanding installment.
I greatly enjoyed this book. It is vivid, suspenseful, and moving, and is honest about the ravages of this industrial disaster without being too graphic for kids or too sanitized for adults to benefit from reading it as well. I would recommend this book to a wide age range, and am very glad that I read it. This series has been mostly hit-or-miss for me, but this is an outstanding installment.
ivyinthepages's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.25 leaves out of 5
Characters: 3.5/5
Cover: 4.5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Genre: Children/Historical Fiction
Type: Book
Worth?: Yeah
I've never heard of the Molasses Flood before now. I'm happy to have read this book though the beginning and ending were just really depressing.
Characters: 3.5/5
Cover: 4.5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Genre: Children/Historical Fiction
Type: Book
Worth?: Yeah
I've never heard of the Molasses Flood before now. I'm happy to have read this book though the beginning and ending were just really depressing.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
3.0
Great short book about an often overlooked event -- the great Molasses flood in Boston. The narrative is a little odd -- Leah and Francesca have a weird frenemy thing going on, and Leah's dream of being a cowboy is unexpected, but at least it has a somewhat unique focus.
america_maxon1096's review against another edition
challenging
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
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